


I Just Want to Tell You How I'm Feeling

by miraculousstorytelling



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Awkwardness, F/M, Happy Ending, Pre-Relationship, post-reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-13 12:48:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10514079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miraculousstorytelling/pseuds/miraculousstorytelling
Summary: After a planned reveal goes awry, Marinette and Adrien are unsure of how to proceed. Thankfully, Alya is happy to trick them into a picnic together to force them to talk it out.





	

 

“Oh, Marinette!” Sabine smiled. “Don’t forget the croissants!”

Marinette paused on her way out the door and nodded. “Thanks, Mama.” She accepted them with a weak smile. “I’m sure everyone’s looking forward to them.”

Her mother frowned. “Is everything alright?”

“Hm?” Marinette packed the croissants into the basket she’d managed to track down. “Oh, of course!”

“Are you sure? You seem upset.”

“No, everything’s fine.” Marinette waved a hand. “Just tired.”

“Well, okay, then.” Sabine still looked worried, but she didn’t press Marinette for details. “Have fun!”

Marinette waved and darted out of the bakery. Everything really  _ wasn’t _ okay, but how was she supposed to explain that to her mother? She couldn’t exactly walk up to Sabine and start crying that she’d finally,  _ finally _ revealed her identity to her partner only to find out he was her crush and things had been painfully awkward between them since. As much as she tried to hide how much it hurt to live with that rift, Marinette had never been skilled at hiding her emotions. Of course her mother would notice.

She sighed and walked down the road, headed for the small park nearby. Maybe with Alya and Nino around, some of the nervous tension between her and Adrien,  _ Chat Noir _ , would ease. Just as long as they didn’t have to fight another akuma like this, the day should be fine. Maybe they’d even have fun together for the first time in two weeks.

She rounded the corner and froze at the sight of Adrien sitting by himself next to the fountain in the middle of the park. Before he could catch sight of her, she ducked behind a tree and silently panicked. After a moment, she calmed down enough to tug out her phone and call Alya.

“Hey, girl!” Alya answered after the first ring.

“Alya! Where are you?” Marinette whispered. “Adrien’s here alone!”

“Yeah, and you’re five minutes late. What’s up with that? You live next door.” Alya continued, “Besides, if you and Adrien are  _ just fine _ , like you keep saying, it won’t kill you to be alone with him.”

Marinette scowled, ignoring the accusation in favor of repeating her question. “Where are you?”

“Nino and I aren’t feeling so well.” Alya tossed in an obviously fake cough. “We won’t be coming.”

“Really?” Marinette deadpanned.

“Go talk to Adrien. I’m tired of you two acting so weird around each other.”

Marinette peeked around the tree to catch a glimpse of his blond hair. “You know, I’m feeling a little sick, too. Maybe I should-”

“Don’t you dare.” Alya hissed. “You go talk to him right now, or I swear I’m getting Ladybug to lock you two in the panther enclosure.”

Marinette groaned and thumped her forehead against the tree. “Fine.”

“Oh, and Nino just texted him that you’re there, so you can stop hiding now.”

“What?” Marinette shouted.

“Bye!” Alya hung up before Marinette could protest, although Marinette texted her a few choice words and symbols immediately after.

“Okay, this is fine,” Marinette murmured to herself. “Just walk over and say hi.” She took a deep breath and turned to make her way over to Adrien. Unfortunately, her feet weren’t quite cooperating, and she stumbled instead, somehow managing to fall right into someone behind her.

“Whoa!” Thankfully, whoever she’d bumped into had better coordination and balance than her, which meant she hadn’t crashed to the ground. Instead, she was staring up into familiar green eyes. “Oh, hey, Marinette!”

“A-Adrien!” She sprang back. “Thanks for um… Thanks.”

“No problem. Nino just texted and said you were here.”

“Yeah, I just got off the phone with Alya.” She chuckled, barely restraining herself from rolling her eyes. “Apparently, they’re not feeling well.”

“He said that, too.” He cleared his throat and looked at her picnic basket. “Want me to carry that for you?”

“No, that’s okay. I’ve got it.” She chanced a glance up at him. “I saw you saved a spot by the fountain.”

“If you’re okay with that.” He avoided her eyes. “Um, I mean, if you still want to.”

“Of course I do. We’ve been planning this for ages.”

“I know, but…” He looked down. “I know things have been…”

She bit her lip. “Yeah, they have.”

Adrien sighed. “Maybe we can talk about it.”

“We probably should,” Marinette admitted, her grip on the basket tightening.

“Okay, let’s um…”

“Yeah.” She led them to the fountain. “I have a blanket in here we can use.”

“Oh, great. Can I help set it up?”

She grimaced and set the basket down. “Sure, but…” She pulled out a ladybug-patterned blanket. “It seems a little weird to use it for just us.”

He took it from her with a small smile. “Well, Alya would have loved it.”

“I thought she would.” She lowered her voice and grabbed two corners of the blanket. “I sort of...thought you would, too.”

“I do. I just, um…” They spread the blanket out together, and he frowned. “I do.”

“But?” she asked as she sat, placing the basket between them.

“No but. I just do.”

She set a small bag of cookies beside the basket. “Really?”

He gingerly sat across from her. “I love Ladybug. L-ladybugs, I mean.”

She opened her mouth to answer, then closed it, her shoulders sagging. She didn’t look at him as she unpacked the basket, laying out the food and thermos of hot tea between them. “My parents sent some croissants.”

“That was nice of them.”

She nodded.

“I didn’t mean…” He sighed. “I didn’t mean to make things awkward.”

“Things were already awkward,” she admitted, pulling out her phone to snap a quick picture of the food she’d arranged so nicely between them.

“Is that for Alya?”

She chuckled. “Just to show her what she’s missing.”

He smiled again, and Marinette hated how guarded it was, how he’d become so wary around her. “Good plan.”

She set aside the phone and poured some tea for them both. “I… I’m not sure how to start.”

“Okay, I will.” He moved a little closer. “Do you regret it?”

She raised a brow and held out a cup for him. “Regret it?”

“Do you regret telling me who you are?” he asked, his voice steady.

She dropped the tea over his lap. “What? How could you-” She gasped when she realized what she’d done. “Oh, I’m so sorry!”

Luckily, he’d dodged most of it, although his left thigh was half-covered in tea. “It’s okay. Do you have-”

She dug around in the basket. “I brought some napkins. Adrien, I’m sorry!”

“It’s fine. Really.”

She quickly pressed a few over the stain. “I didn’t mean to spill it on you.”

“Uh, Marinette.” He placed his hands over hers. “It’s not a big deal, but I think I can handle it.”

She blushed when she realized exactly where her hands were. She jumped back as though she’d been burned. “I’m so sorry. I don’t-” She covered her face with her hands. “What is wrong with me?”

He dabbed at the rapidly cooling tea. “Nothing’s wrong with you. It was just a spill.”

She finally lowered her hands and looked up at him. “How could you think I regret it?”

“Well, things have been different between us.”

“I thought…” She picked up the cup and poured some more tea. “I didn’t think you’d be someone I knew. And I really didn’t think you’d be the guy who turned me down two months ago.”

He flinched. “If I’d known-”

“I’m not angry.” She set it in front of him this time. “But it did...complicate things.”

“I only turned you down then because I was in love with Ladybug.”

“I know.”

“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have-”

“Look, I understand.” She picked up a croissant and tore off a piece. “You’re in love with Ladybug.”

“I’m in love with  _ you _ .” He set the napkins aside. “I’m in love with the girl behind the mask, too. I wanted to say yes to you when you asked me to dinner. You being Ladybug… It’s the best thing that could have happened.”

She chewed on a bit of croissant for a moment. Finally, she met his eyes. “Then, why didn’t you say that?”  Even with the akuma interrupting their post-reveal shock, she’d expected more than awkward silence. From him and from herself.

“Because I didn’t want you to think I only loved you because you were Ladybug.”

She frowned. “We’ve had four patrols since then, and you never said anything.”

“Neither did you,” he pointed out gently.

“I didn’t know what to say.”

“Me neither.” He picked at the perfectly browned crust of a quiche in front of him.

“I mean, I’ve been rejecting Chat Noir for a year because I was in love with you,” she admitted, “And I was scared you’d think I only kissed Chat Noir a month ago because you turned me down.”

“But, you did.”

She made a face. “Yeah, but… I love Chat Noir, too. I love both sides of you. I just…”

“Made a choice that sort of backfired?”

She chuckled. “Yeah, exactly.”

Adrien reached out to gently take her hand in his. “I’m going to say what I should have said two weeks ago.” He pressed a light kiss to the back of her hand. “Milady… I’m so glad it’s you. You’re the best Ladybug I could have asked for.”

Marinette smiled, tension draining from her shoulders as she spoke, “And I think you’re the purrfect Chat Noir. I’m glad you’re my partner.”

He snickered. “Did you just make a pun?”

She leaned closer, smirking slightly. “Well, someone had to. You completely missed the chance to talk about letting the cat out of the bag.”

He gasped. “What a catastrophe!”

She bowed forward and laughed. “I missed this.”

He laughed along with her. “I missed you.”

She glanced back up at him. “I’m glad we talked.”

“Me, too.” He grinned, and the sight made her heart melt. “Guess you owe Alya an apawlogy for that text earlier.”

She snorted. “Don’t push your luck, kitty.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He finally released her hand to pick up a cookie.

“So,” she sent him a soft smile. “Are you going to ask me to dinner?”

“Oh, am I supposed to?” he teased, falling back into their easy banter now that they’d cleared the air.

“Well, I asked you, so I think it’s your turn.”

“Well, then, I guess-” He stopped and stared over her shoulder. “Unfortunately, it looks like someone else wants a turn first.”

“Oh?” She turned and frowned when she saw the tall woman towering over the city. “Hawkmoth really does have the worst timing.”

Adrien stood and offered her a hand. “Ready to teach him a lesson, bugaboo?”

She slipped her hand back in his and let him pull her to her feet. “You know, that nickname’s really growing on me.”

“You mean you  _ haven’t _ always loved it?”

She chuckled. “I think it’s in my best interest not to answer that.” She peered into her purse. “Okay, Tikki, time to transform.”

“Uhhh… Marinette.” Adrien frantically searched his pocket. “I can’t find Plagg.”

Marinette’s eyes widened when she realized her purse was empty. “Tikki’s gone, too.”

He looked over at her. “What? Where did our kwamis go?”

She took a deep breath. “I don’t know. But, it looks like we’re on our own for now.”

“How do we fight an akuma without our powers?”

“Tikki said I’m Ladybug with or without the mask.” She snapped her purse closed. “Same goes for you.”

“I’m Ladybug?” he teased.

She rolled her eyes affectionately. “Yes, you got it. You’re Ladybug.”

He chuckled. “I knew it. I always looked great in spots.”

She raised a brow. “That I’d like to see.”

“Remind me to show you my Ladybug costume later.” He winked, and Marinette felt her cheeks warm.

“Let’s save the flirting for after we beat the akuma.” She ran to meet the akumatized victim.

He caught up seconds later. “Are you blushing? You’ve never blushed before.”

“Focus, Chat Noir.” She was pleased to note, however, a soft pink colored his cheeks, too. “We’re going to have to find a way to take her down without putting ourselves in danger. Hopefully, Tikki and Plagg will find us.”

“What do we do if they don’t?”

She grimaced. “We’ll have to hold onto the akuma until they do.”

They stopped down the road from the large villain. She was currently shouting for Ladybug and Chat Noir, punching buildings and stomping holes into the sidewalk.

“Great. A giant akuma with super strength.” Adrien scowled. “I guess we probably can’t go up and try to just talk to her about why she got akumatized.”

“Oh my gosh, Adrien,” Marinette bit back a laugh. “You can’t just ask someone why they’re akumatized.”

He grinned, barely suppressing a laugh of his own. “Was that a Mean Girls reference?”

“Maybe.” She glanced around. “If we can trip her somehow, maybe we can get to whatever has the akuma.”

“Good plan. But, how do we do that without her seeing us?”

She smiled. “I think I have an idea.”

 

“Are you sure this is going to work?”

Marinette wrapped the heavy rope around her wrist for a better grip. “It’s worth a shot. Just remember, we need to stay out of sight, and we can’t let her hit us. If you find the object, grab it if you can.”

Adrien nodded and grabbed the other end of the rope. “Okay. Ready when you are.”

As if on cue, the akumatized victim headed their way, calling for the heroes of Paris to come stop her. She never even saw the rope on the ground in front of her, but she certainly felt it when Adrien and Marinette pulled it taut in time to catch her ankles and send her toppling forward. “How dare you?” she shrieked, thrashing on the ground.

Marinette ducked into an alley and stayed out of sight as she looked the villain over. She gasped. “Her heels.”

She caught sight of a green flash across the way seconds before Chat Noir bounded out and snatched off one of the akumatized victim’s heels. He must have figured it out, too.

Tikki soared up beside her. “Marinette! There you are!”

Marinette grinned. “Right on time. Tikki, spots on!”

Chat Noir was dodging kicks when Ladybug ran out to grab the second shoe. Luckily, she caught the villain by surprise, and in an instant, she broke it over her knee. Chat Noir watched her cleanse and capture the akuma, a sappy smile on his lips as she saved the day again.

She turned to offer her fist up for a fist bump, but instead, he was hugging her and whispering in her ear. “Hey, do you want to grab dinner?”

Ladybug chuckled and wrapped her arms around him. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Both of them jumped when a familiar song began playing, the low voice startling them out of the tender moment. The woman who’d been akumatized groaned and scrambled to pull out her phone. “I can’t believe he actually changed my ringtone to this joke...”

Chat Noir chuckled. “You know… I forgot that was an actual song…”

**Author's Note:**

> Also posted on tumblr under miraculousstorytelling!


End file.
